About

This restaurant is permanently closed. Butterfly offers the perfect mix of food, atmosphere, an amazing California Wine List and great decor. Chef Robert Lam was named as a previous "Top 6 Rising Star Chef" by The Chronicle, Lam continues to impress by bringing his innovative California-Asian cuisine to the waterfront location on the Embarcadero. " Narsai David of KCBS said," Butterfly is a happening place". Best seafood soup, I have ever had!" A few suggestions Clams and Mussels, Salmon and Strawberry Rolls, Kalua Pig in Butter Lettuce Cups, Crispy Fried Whole Fish, and Banana Bread Pudding for dessert.

We flew to SF for a romantic getaway & walked from Union Sq to Chinatown to Embarcadero not knowing how far it was. The "Butterfly Restaurant" was worth it, starting with the tastey herb zapped edaname beans, the sweet & spicy chicken wings & the ono shrimp curry chowder. The Butterfly chicken was just a tad too bland compared to our appetizers but the roasted brussel sprouts & crispy black rice were tasty - glad we ordered a side order of white rice to soak up all the flavors!We'll be back.

Had a great time at Butterfly for a Friday date night - delicious cocktails and hearty portions! You will not leave here hungry! The Loco Moco Burger and Whole Coconut Colada were standouts. Ask for a seat by the window and enjoy the gorgeous view!

We were hosting friends visiting from Australian and wanted a restaurant that would impress and show off creative Californian cuisine. Butterfly did not disappoint! We had a lovely, semi-private table with a view. Waiter was very attentive, but left us alone when we were clearly charting and catching up. Menu is diverse but not overwhelming. Appetizers are very generous - you could make a meal out of these! Duck Confit Spring Rolls and Papaya salad were particular favorites. Cocktails were also great and creative. Overall the experience was just really lovely and relaxed. Highly recommended for a special occasion of any sort!

Food was good. Service ok. Didn't make much of a deal for my friend's birthday. Cost was prohibitive. Teriyaki steak plate small. Probably won't go again, at least if I'm paying. Using the Groupon they force an 18% gratuity for three people.

This is a "fusion" restaurant that feels more like confusion. Even with a generous Groupon, it was seriously overpriced for the caliber of food being offered. The saving grace is the Bay view. I might return here for a view table, drinks and appetizers, but not for dinner. The Vietnamese spring rolls were actually quite good, but the rest of the meal was a mishmash of unharmonious flavors. The Butterfly Chicken dish was a generous portion of nothing wonderful, though the chicken was tasty enough. My friend had the meatballs, which she enjoyed. For dessert, we had a way too sweet molten chocolate cookie that came in a hot fry pan, with a dollop of mint ice cream. It was big -- and maybe something a young child with a sweet tooth might like, but it didn't feel like an adult dessert. The entrees alone absorbed the cost of the Groupon. Dessert, an appetizer and two drinks brought the price to what I felt the whole meal was worth.

The food is mediocre. I had the Shanghai noodles with shrimp and a colleague had the chicken. We both thought the dishes were average. We had a table by the window but the restaurant is between two wharfs so you only see a slice of the water.

I'm a regular customer that frequently sits down to dinner after spending a little time at the bar for happy hour where good conversation is always in abundance whether it's with guests or staff. The Happy Hour bites are over the top and currently have a large choice of items. If you get anything at all you must get the "Duck Confit Rolls" , the are always on the Happy Hour menu and there would be anarchy if they were ever removed.Dinner is especially nice with consistently good food (I usually swing toward the hanger steak or the Vietnamese Garlic Noodles with SurfnTurf.I find it challenging to save room for dessert but they have a some goodies on the menu for that as well.

The place is a lovely surprise. It's on the Embarcadero, with great views from the floor to ceiling windows, so a great place to show off to friends - but the star of the place is the food and the service. The Asian fusion dishes are seasoned just right, assertive but not aggressive, and you can taste the freshness. A feast for the eyes, too. Also, a very nice wine selection! Very pleased we came, and we will certainly be back

The restaurant was just okay. The food, good, nothing spectacular. The decor at first was striking but as you look around it looks as if it could use some cleaning and updating. It seems to be quite popular with tourists because of the Embarcadero location. I doubt that San Franciscan's would choose to dine here.

Although the food was good but unfortunately the behavior of our main server was terrible and unacceptable.I had a very special guest along with my family. while we were preparing to order, the guy had an unprofessional conduct so that my guest got upset and angry. He was about to argue with my guest while he was trying to make an order.I paid over $120 for the meal, which was not worth it. As a result, I lost my money and was ashamed because of hosting situation. I don't know how you guys want to make me happy again.Thank you

We loved our visit to Butterfly! They sat us at a romantic booth for two looking straight out at the bay. We started with the oyster shooters and had the lettuce cups as an appetizer. Both were great! We also shared the duck plate and the surf & turf garlic noodles for the main course and it all left us full and satisfied. The cocktails were tasty and packed a punch. We both decided that this place was an underrated gem on the Embarcadero and we will definitely be back in the future.

Food was okay, nothing stood out as a dish I would like to have again. Although I had mentioned on the phone that we were celebrating our birthdays the day before they did not acknowledge it. The menu is so limited that there is no reason to return since we ordered the only items of interest.

Went for a friends 67th birthday party. Without asking they reserved us a window seat, and we were pampered from the minute we sat down. Event the bus service was friendly and helpful. Very Clean, wonderful view, and then we started ordering. Every single dish from the shrimp and papaya appetizer and pork lettuce cups (vs chicken) were amazing. Four women scarfing at the food. the pork melted in your mouth. A friend got the chicken sandwich and said it was exceptional. another got the pork in a hole or something like that, again the pork was stunning. I and the birthday girl got the appetizer salad, which was huge and wonderful, plus the calamari appetizer as our entree. Awesome. Then, totally stuffed and chatting, they dropped a desert menu and we got creme brulee and the chocolate chip cookie in a skillet. They ate the Brulee in moments (I'm not a custard fan) and I dove into the cookie, which was warm and gooey with mint chip ice cream to cool it down. there was a little flower in there holding together a chocolate paradise. Everyone helped with the cookie mumbling yum yum noises. the excellent service never ceased, but was never intrusive. Then the owner came over to make sure we were happy and we fawned over him. We left fat and sassy and delighted at this amazing place I've been meaning to go to for years. We're already planning on going again for another birthday gathering. This place is a gem, and don't let the wharf location turn you off, this is a local's delight!

Butterfly offers good food, good service, and reasonable prices. But let's face it, it's location, location. Nothing better than to be there at lunchtime, rain or shine, get a table by the window, enjoy the view, your drinks and meal....a San Francisco experience.

the evening started out really well. found a parking spot right in front. we were seated by the window and as the restaurant is on the water at pier 33 the view was terrific. we began with the best cocktails ever. very creative and tasty. appetizers were delicious and came out quickly. there were 4 in our group and we each had something different. all of the entres were really wonderful. both the duck and the steak were cooked to perfection and the chicken was juicy and flavorful. also the portions were outstanding. the service was very attentive but not overbearing. an example of the good service...... i remarked to the bus boy not the server that the sweet and spicy sauce that came with one of the appetizers was really good. at the end of the dinner he handed me a couple of little containers of that sauce. its those little things that make a dinner out memorable. we eat out at least 3 nights a week and we all remarked that this experience was as good as we have had. we will definitely return. i encourage everyone to try butterfly. they won't regret it.

Heard about Butterfly on Check Please Bay Area. It's been on "the list of places to go" for a long time. Finally tried it for my husband's birthday. We sampled from the Brunch Starter menu - Oyster Shooters, Kalua Pig Lettuce Wraps, Calamari, Duck Spring Rolls - it was all simply delicious. That and a window seat overlooking the bay at Pier 33. Perfect.

Overall the place was good. We got the duck confit spring rolls due to other reviews and it was an excellent choice. For entrees we got the garlic noodles with shaking beef which was also very good and the Butterfly Chicken was a generous portion and delicious, however the side of rice cake was a bit odd for our taste. The ambience of the place was pretty unique and the view was nice with a window seat.

This is my second time. The entrees were delicious. We ordered the flank steak and fish and both were perfectly cooked. I'm surprised it was wasn't more crowded for a Friday night. Lucky for us! Great service.

Amazing view and great location, but the food was pretty average and not really worth the money. We visited because we had bought a groupon and wanted one night of more "upscale dining" on our honeymoon. My wife ordered the soba noodles, which were fine, but as she said later that night "didn't leave her heartbroken that the waiter forgot to give us our leftovers." I ordered the tuna poke, which I'd rate a 3/10. The fried rice was a little overpowering and the tuna, while seemingly of high quality, tasted too sweet. This could be because I ordered it to be prepared gluten free. I would recommend going to Butterfly for their happy hour - good wine for a good value and reasonably priced food options.

Food was good. Ordered two appetizers; Duck Spring Roll & Shrimp Papaya Salad. Both dishes were very good. Our main entree was Brussel sprouts and Angus Beef Burger on the medium rare side. Brussel sprouts were delicious. The burger was cooked to perfection and we asked for crispy fries which they were right on! Service was mediocre. They were quite busy with what looked like tourist and so the waitress was not that attentive to our table but the busboys were very good. Overall I would rate the pricing on the high side but probably because you are in the tourist area and close to Fishermen Wharf. We used a Groupon which made it better.